Selection Sunday is upon us, with the official NCAA Tournament bracket set to be released in a few hours and it looks like the committee will be determining between three Big Ten teams for the final No. 2 seed.
Michigan State has been considered a near lock for a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament for weeks, but back-to-back losses to end the season has opened the door for debate. Right now, it sounds like that debate is between Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue for the final No. 2 seed.
Nick Arvin of Locked On Boilermakers posted as similar thought on social media on Saturday night, with a breakdown comparison of these three Big Ten teams — check that out below:
The Committee will be deciding between 3 Big-10 teams for the last 2 seed
(26-8) Purdue:
SOS- 8
KenPom NET- 8
QUAD 1- (9-8)*
Avg Seed (BM)-2.90(25-7) Sparty:
SOS- 21
KenPom NET- 9
QUAD 1- (9-6)
Avg Seed-2.21(24-8) Illinois:
SOS- 23
KenPom NET- 7
QUAD 1- (7-8)
Avg Seed-2.85— Nick Arvin (@nickarvinsports) March 15, 2026
Purdue is set to play Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament title game this afternoon so they in theory have an opportunity to further improve their resume as the final game before the bracket is released. But, in previous years, it feels like the result in the Big Ten title game isn’t taken into consideration for seeding since it’s too close the bracket reveal. That is at least a common theory and not necessarily proven but something to take into consideration.
As of this morning, Michigan State is still the leader among these three teams within the Bracket Matrix. The Spartans are listed as the final No. 2 seed, with an average seed of 2.25 across 120 brackets. Right behind them is Purdue as the top No. 3 seed with an average seed of 2.83 and then Illinois behind them with an average seed of 2.94.
Michigan State also has the benefit of head-to-head wins over both Purdue and Illinois this year. So, that very well could be the ultimately deciding factor for who gets that last No. 2 seed.
The official Selection Show will be held at 6 p.m. ET today. We will be tuned in at Spartans Wire with plenty of coverage following the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Analyst: MSU, Illinois, Purdue battling for final No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament